Lead mining must be stopped

The effect of chronic lead exposure on the course of schistosomiasis in hamsters and the protective effect of the antioxidant preparation ‘Antox’

Eighty adult male hamsters were used in this study, 20 of them were divided equally into a noninfected, nontreated control group and chronic lead exposed groups, which were given lead acetate intraperitoneally, dissolved in distilled water, 2 mg/kg/day for seven weeks. Then, two experiments were carried out on the remaining animals. Each experiment included 30 animals and was divided equally into three groups. Experiment A was carried out on the following groups: Schistosoma mansoni infected group, S. mansoni infected and chronic lead exposed group and S. mansoni infected, chronic lead exposed and ‘Antox’ treated group. Experiment B was done following the same design except that infection was carried out using Schistosoma haematobium cercaria. Chronic lead exposure of Schistosoma infected groups showed significant reductions in worm burden, tissue egg load and ova excretion in stool, liver and intestine. Compared with the control group, there were insignificant increases in serum and hepatic glutathione and malondialdehyde levels and a significant increase in hepatic 8-oxodeoxy guanosine phosphate (8-Ox-Dg) levels in Schistosomainfected groups. However, there was a significant increase in hepatic and blood lead levels, oxidative stress parameters and in the hepatic 8-Ox-Dg level in Schistosoma infected and chronic lead exposed groups as compared with their corresponding Schistosoma only infected groups. This study revealed a significant reduction in oxidative stress parameters as well as in blood and hepatic lead levels and in hepatic 8-Ox-Dg levels after giving Antox to the Schistosoma infected and chronic lead exposed groups. However, Antox increased insignificantly all the parasitological parameters studied in the Schistosoma infected and chronic lead exposed groups.